


How Could I?

by Reading_Nut_Cassirole



Series: Can I? Trilogy [2]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 19:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reading_Nut_Cassirole/pseuds/Reading_Nut_Cassirole
Summary: Bruce is regreting sending Dick back to the orphanage, and everyone's mad at him for it too, but how can he get Dick back or is it too late?Sequeal to Can I? and the second story in the Can I? trilogy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing

Bruce sat at his desk in the mansion just staring at the picture of him and Dick. It had been a month since he left Dick at the orphanage, and ever since, he was regretting every minute of it. He didn't want to give Dick up, but he was so convinced that it would be for the better if Dick lived with a different family.

Alfred walked in carrying a cup of coffee. He and Bruce hadn't been talking that much since Dick left, so when he got to Bruce's desk, he just glared at him. "Here's your coffee, Master Bruce."

"Thank you, Alfred," he tried to say, but Alfred was already back out the door. Bruce sighed then got up and went down to the Batcave. He hoped that he could find something to get his mind off of the whole situation.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Alfred walked back into the living room and saw some things that needed dusting, so he grabbed a duster and got to work. Just before he finished dusting the first item, the phone went off. He sat the duster down and walked calmly to the phone. "Wayne residence."

_"Alfred?"_

"Master Dick," Alfred smiled, "so good to hear from you again."

_"Yeah, it's good to hear your voice again, too. Is Bruce around?"_  Dick asked. He sounded like he was scared or in a hurry, Alfred couldn't really tell which.

"I'll have to see. Hold on a moment."

_"Ok."_

Alfred sat the phone down on the table then headed for the study. When he walked in, he saw that Bruce was gone, so he walked over to the clock and tried the Batcave. As he walked off the elevator, he saw that the computer was on, but saw no Bruce. He walked over to the computer and called Bruce.

_"What do you want?"_  Bruce asked none too nicely.

"Sir, you have a call."

_"Tell them I'll call them back."_

"But, Sir, it's…"

_"Alfred, I'm busy,"_ Bruce said before he cut off the call.

Alfred slammed his fist down on the keyboard. "Blast!" He then glared at the screen like everything was its fault. "Master Bruce, just because you made the mistake of getting rid of your son, it does not give you the right to go ignoring everyone you come in contact with!" He then sighed and walked back to the elevator so he could get back to Dick's phone call.

He slowly put the phone back to his ear. "Master Dick?"

_"I'm still here. Where's Bruce?"_

"I'm afraid Master Bruce is busy at the moment. He'll have to call you back. Could I…"

_"Kid, what did I tell you about making unexpected calls?"_  Another male voice range out over the line.

"Who on earth was that?" Alfred asked both confused and a bit worried.

_"Sorry, Alfred, I got to go."_

"Master Dick?" Alfred tried, but the line was already dead. He walked over to the tall windows, looked out at the night sky, and sighed. "Master Dick, what's going on?"

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Bruce walked into the dining room the next morning, sat down and picked up the paper to read it like always, and waited for his breakfast.

He'd gotten through the current news articles and was half way through the sports section before he realized that Alfred still hadn't brought either his coffee or his breakfast. "Alfred?"

Bruce called out. When he got no response, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen. "Alfred, where's my breakfast? I have to be at work in forty-five minutes."

Again he got no response. As he looked around the kitchen, his eyes fell on a small piece of paper on the counter. He went over, picked it up, and read:

_Master Bruce,_

_Went to see Master Dick. Something's not right. He_  
called last night wanting to speak with you, but you  
were too busy being angry with yourself to care. He  
sounded scared, Sir. I really wish you would talk to  
him. He's been trying to get a hold of you for the  
past three weeks.

_There's bread on the counter and butter in the fridge,  
so you can make toast if you want to eat before work._

_Alfred_

Bruce clenched his fist, with the note still in his hand, and closed his eyes. He felt horrible. He then slowly unclenched his fist and finally went over to the counter to put some bread in the toaster.

He read through the note again as he ate his toast.  _'What does he mean something's not right?'_  He put the note in his pants pocket, put the bread and butter away, grabbed his stuff, and went to work. He'd have to ask Alfred about it later.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Bruce sat at the table in one of the conference rooms in the Wayne Tech. building for their weekly, afternoon, meeting, but he was very distracted.

"Mr. Wayne, what do you think?" Bruce just continued to stare at the table top, his chin resting on his fist. "Mr. Wayne?" Tom, the one talking, placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce jumped at the contact and stared up at Tom. "Wha… Oh, sorry," he said then looked around at the others in the room. They all looked back at him concerned.

"Are you ok, Mr. Wayne?" a woman, who was sitting next to him, asked concerned.

"I don't know, Cindy," Bruce confessed. He got up and went over to the window to look out. "My butler left me a note this morning saying that Dick has been trying to get a hold of me for the past three weeks. He also said something about something being wrong, like Dick was in trouble." He turned around to see everyone looking at him concerned and sad. "I haven't talked to Alfred since last night, and even then I wasn't the nicest. He was trying to tell me that Dick was on the phone, but I was too mad at myself to listen and I…" Bruce couldn't continue and looked away from them.

Cindy walked over and placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "It's going to be ok, Bruce. I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah," Tom agreed. "And if you feel that bad about it, why don't you just go and see if you can get him back?"

This made everyone, including Bruce, look up at him. "I can't," Bruce said quietly and looked away once again. "If I went back now, I'll just be placing him in the same situation as before. He's not safe with me." Everyone remained quiet. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said looking up at them, "but I just can't do this right now."

"It's ok," Cindy replied. "We'll reschedule the meeting for another day."

Bruce gave her a small smile and saw everyone else nod in agreement. "Thank you." And with that, he walked out of the room and back to his office.

When he walked in, he saw a man standing there waiting for him. He glared at the man as he walked past him and sat down at his desk. "What do you want, Kent?" he asked none to friendly.

"Bruce, we're all concerned about you," Clark said referring to him and the rest of the original members of the League.

"I'm fine," Bruce said in his usual, stubborn voice.

"No, you're not," Clark responded, getting mad. He then lowered his voice and leaned on Bruce's desk to get closer. "We've been watching you. For the past three weeks, you've been getting more aggressive to the point that the criminals here in Gotham don't want to show their faces anymore. Plus, you haven't been to the mountain to give the kids any missions. Bruce, you have to get over yourself. You're the one that got rid of Dick. He didn't die, run away, or anything of his free will. You did it so you have to live with what you did."

Bruce was glaring at the Kryptonian. "Get out of my office," he said, voice low.

"No, not until you do something to get over this."

"Kent, what I did, I did for him."

"Oh really. So he wanted to leave his friends, his family to go live with some strangers that he's probably never met before?" Clark was starting to raise his voice again. He pushed away from the desk and just stared at Bruce waiting for his answer.

Bruce lost the glare and just stared at his desk. "Clark, he's not safe with me."

Clark punched Bruce right in the chin, not hard, but hard enough to get his point across. Bruce went flying into the wall behind him then stared up at a very mad Kryptonian. "What the heck was that for?!"

"Not safe! Bruce, you're the gosh dang Batman! How is he not safe with you! You're probably the toughest one out of all of the League!"

Bruce just looked away, still rubbing his chin. He was so glad that the walls of his office were sound proof, or he'd have a really bad situation on his hands. The room was silent for a few minutes, and Bruce was glad for that. Clark just stared at Bruce. "Alright, I see your point," he said as he got up off the ground, "but that doesn't change the fact that he gets hurt, kidnapped…"

"Stop it!" Clark yelled, interrupting him. "We've, no, I've had enough of your sorry excuses for something that never should've happened. If you didn't want Dick, you shouldn't have took him in in the first place. And now, after four years you decide to just give him up? Why take him back to the orphanage? You had all of us in the League who would've gladly taken him in. Why didn't you talk to us about it first? That way he would still be with his friends and family, and he'd still get to see the traitor that he called father."

Bruce stared at him surprised. He had never thought about letting Dick stay with any other Leaguer. He was so sure that his only way to help Dick would be to send him back to the orphanage so that he could get away from all the dangers of his life.

Clark could see the realization etched on Bruce's face as he thought about what he just said. "Bruce, go back down to that orphanage and bring Dick home."

"If you were so worried about him, why didn't you go and adopt him, or one of the other Leaguers?" Bruce said with a bit of a bite.

"Because, we knew that if we did that, you'd threaten us and still found a way to get Dick back in that orphanage," Clark said with a low voice that sounded almost as dark as Batman's voice.

Bruce walked away from the Kryptonian and over to the window. He stared out over the city in thought. He then turned back around to Clark. "Clark, you're right. I'm falling apart without him in my life. I've made myself miserable as well as Dick, I'm sure." Clark smiled. "I'm going down to that orphanage and bringing my son home." Bruce grabbed his jacket from the desk and ran out the door. "Thanks, Clark."

Clark just watched him leave, a satisfied smile on his face. He knew that he had finally won a battle with the dark knight, and this was one fight that he was determined to win. "Anytime."


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce ran into the orphanage and startled the young lady at the desk when he slammed his hands down on the desk. "Ah! Uh, hello?"

"I'm looking for Charlene," Bruce said.

"Uh, ok, hold on," the young girl said then got up and walked out of the room.

Bruce walked over to a picture of what looked to be like the entire group of kids at the orphanage, including Dick. Dick was smiling, but Bruce could tell that he was miserable. "Hold on, Dick, you're almost back home," he whispered.

"He's over there," the young girl said.

Bruce turned around and smiled. Charlene recognized him immediately. "Mr. Wayne, good to see you again," she said smiling as she walked up to him and shook his hand.

"Good to see you, too."

"Come, let's go to my office." Bruce nodded and followed her. Once the door was closed, they both took a seat at her desk. "So, what can I do for you?" she asked still smiling.

"Well, I was wondering if there was any way I could readopt Dick." Charlene's smile faded, but didn't interrupt. "You see, I made a terrible mistake," Bruce continued, his smile now gone. "Dick is the most important person in my life. I was being stupid and selfish when I brought him here. Please, is there any way for me to get him back?"

Charlene sighed. "Mr. Wayne, I would love to help you. Finding loving homes for our kids is our goal here, but I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Bruce looked at her shocked and a bit worried. "Why not?"

Charlene leaned forward. "A few days after you brought him here, a couple came in looking for an older boy, around Dick's age, to take in as a foster child. When they saw their choices, it didn't take them too long to decide."

Bruce closed his eyes crushed. "So he's gone."

"I'm afraid so, yes. I'm really sorry."

Bruce sat there for another few seconds then got up and looked at her. "Thank you for your time." He then walked out of the office and back out to his car. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he held them back.  _'I was too late.'_

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Alfred was dusting around the study when Bruce walked in. "Master Bruce, what are you doing home?" Alfred asked, but then saw the tear stains on Bruce's face and he knew something was wrong. "Sir, what happened?" he asked as he sat the duster down.

Bruce sat down in the armchair in front of the fire place and stared at the picture of John and Mary. "I failed them, Alfred. I failed them, and I failed Dick." He then looked down at the ground.

Alfred placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder, but Bruce didn't move. "I know, Sir, but there's nothing you can do about it now."

Bruce finally looked up at Alfred. "Why didn't you tell me he got adopted?"

"I didn't know until after I went down to the orphanage this morning," Alfred replied sadly. He then walked over to the duster again and continued dusting. "You do realize that this never would've happened if you listened to me in the first place," he said with a bit of a bite, not even looking at Bruce.

Bruce actually sunk a little lower in the chair. "Yes, I know I messed up, and now I have to pay for it." It was quiet for a while; the only noise was the crackling of the fire and the sweeping of the duster. "Alfred, what did you mean when you said something wasn't right?"

Alfred stopped dusting, looked down and closed his eyes, then turned and looked back to Bruce sadly. "I don't know for sure, but every time Master Dick called, he always sounded scared or in a hurry like he couldn't be on very long."

Bruce sat up straighter. "So you're saying it sounds like the loving family Charlene thought they were isn't so loving after all?"

"Like I said, I don't know for sure, but yes."

Bruce got up, a new found determination in his face, and walked to the phone. Alfred just watched him leave then went back to his dusting, smiling. "Welcome back, Master Bruce."

Bruce picked up the phone and called the orphanage. "Charlene please," he told the young girl he assumed he met earlier.

_"This is Charlene."_

"Charlene, this is Bruce Wayne."

_"Oh, Mr. Wayne. Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I wish there was something I could do for you."_

"There is."

_"There is?"_  she asked confused.

"Yes. Could you give me the name and number of the family that took him in?"

_Of course, hold on just a sec."_  He heard what sounded like typing and then she continued.  _"Their names are Steve and Sarah Savage, and their number is 815-6677."_

"Thank you."

_"No problem. Have a good day."_

"You too. Good bye." Bruce didn't even wait to hear if she said good bye back, he just hung up the phone and ran to the study to get down to the Batcave.

"My word!" Alfred gasped as Bruce nearly barreled into him as he came in the room.

"Sorry, Alfred," Bruce said, not even looking back.

"Is everything alright?" Alfred asked as he got on the elevator behind Bruce.

"I got the name of the couple that took in Dick."

"Alright?" Alfred asked still not sure why Bruce was rushing to get down to the cave. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Bruce ran to the computer and a smile formed on Alfred's face. He finally realized what Bruce was doing. "You're going to check to see if there are any reasons for Master Dick to be scared when he calls."

"Exactly." Bruce pulled up two files, one of a man with dark hair and brown eyes, and the other of a woman with blonde hair, that looked like a boy's hair cut, and green eyes.

"Steve and Sarah Savage?" Alfred asked after reading the names on the files.

Bruce ignored him and used the computer to call the number. It rang a couple times before someone finally picked up.

_"Hello?"_  Steve asked in a rude voice.

"Mr. Savage?"

_"Yeah?"_

"My name is Bruce Wayne."

_"What do you want?"_  Steve asked still being very rude.

"Well, I was wondering if I could speak to Dick."

_"Why?"_

"Well, you see, he's been calling my house, trying to get a hold of me, for the past three weeks, and I'm just returning his calls."

The line went silent for a second then Bruce heard a quiet yell from the line.  _"Sarah, bring the brat in here a minute!"_

Alfred and Bruce both looked at each other, Alfred surprised, and Bruce angry.

_"What's going on?"_  Sarah asked. In the background, Bruce and Alfred could hear what sounded like Dick grunting, trying to get out of a grip.

_"Did you call Wayne?!"_

_"I… I just wanted to talk to him,"_  Dick replied, fear very clear in his voice.

Bruce hit a button on the computer, but stayed quiet.  _"I thought I told you never to use the phone without my permission!"_  Bruce then heard a small pop sound and he clenched his fist when he heard a slight yelp.  _"I'll deal with you later."_  The line went silent again for another few seconds then Steve's voice came through loud and clear.  _"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, he won't be bothering you again."_

"Please, it's no bother. I would like to talk to him," Bruce said, acting as if he didn't hear the conversation that just went on.

_"Sorry, ain't gonna happen. He's busy packin' stuff up right now."_

"Packing? Are you going somewhere?"

_"Well if you must know, we're moving to North Carolina. We're sick of this city and all the crap here."_

"When are you leaving?"

_"Listen, it's none of your business,"_ Steve replied getting angry again.  _"Now don't be calling again."_  And with that, the line went dead.

Bruce pushed another button on the computer. "What a rude man," Alfred said in disgust. "No wonder Master Dick has been calling here."

"He's been calling for help, and I've been ignoring him because I was pitying myself," Bruce said then slammed his fists down on the keyboard. He then continued to look at the files of Steve and Sarah. "I have to find a way to get him away from them."


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce called Barry and Clark over to the manor. These two were the only ones he could trust enough to listen to him and not vent their anger toward him because of what he did. They were sitting in the living room discussing the phone call that he and Alfred just had.

"So you know for sure that this guy is abusing Dick?" Clark asked.

"No, not for sure, but you tell me that that's not what it sounded like," Bruce replied.

When Clark and Barry first got there, they actually met in the cave, and Bruce played the part of the conversation that he recorded for them.

"I'm not saying that," Clark said raising his hands up in front of him. "All I'm saying is that one pop that sounds like a person smacking someone might not be enough proof for the police to go by."

"He's right," Barry agreed. "I would think you knew that. Don't you do this kind of stuff all the time?"

"No," Bruce said. "I work on kidnappings, petty theft, murders, and the escape of crazed villains, not this stuff. The police handle the abuse cases and the personal stuff for Gotham."

"Then you need to go to the police with this," Clark said.

"I called Commissioner Gordon before I called you guys. He told me that he would look into it, but that it could take a while. He also said that abusers have ways of hiding the truth so that they can't touch them, and that even the person being abused goes along with it out of fear."

"But Dick is Robin," Barry said. "Something like that shouldn't affect him, should it?"

"He's also only thirteen," Clark said. "I've done a few stories in Metropolis about children and teens all the way up to nineteen going along with their abuser's stories for a long time before they finally confess, if they ever do."

"Dick may be strong, but he's also had a hard past," Bruce put in. "The trauma of losing his parents and then me betraying him by giving him up, plus the threats from Steve are probably why he's not saying anything. He probably thinks there's no reason too."

"But you said he's been calling you for the past three weeks," Barry said.

"Yes, but every time Alfred has been talking to him."

"And he didn't say a word about it," Alfred said as he walked in with a tray of drinks.

"I see. So what are you going to do?" Barry asked.

"I've done everything I can as Bruce Wayne, now it's Batman's turn. I'll try to get evidence that will prove Dick's being abused, and bring it to Commissioner Gordon."

"But won't he get suspicious?" Clark asked. "I mean, if you don't normally bother with this sort of thing, then he might question why you are for this particular case."

"So send the team."

Bruce, Barry, Clark, and Alfred all looked over toward the front door to see Wally standing there.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" Barry asked standing up along with Bruce and Clark.

Wally walked toward them. "Aunt Iris told me you were here," he said as he looked toward his uncle then looked at Bruce. "Send the team after Dick." He finally stopped right in front of Bruce.

"I'll handle this," Bruce said glaring then turned and started walking toward the study.

Wally got angry, ran and got in front of Bruce, then punched Bruce as hard as he could. Bruce stumbled backwards, and because he was caught off guard, fell.

"Wally!" Barry yelled as he ran to help Bruce up. Clark and Alfred just stayed where they were.

"Why do you have to be so… so…!"

"Stubborn?" Clark finished for Wally.

"Yeah, stubborn! Dick's a part of the team whether you like it or not!"

Bruce just glared at him. "Because, you and your team are for covert missions only, unless…"

"Unless Rob convinces you otherwise!" Wally interrupted, still very angry.

Even Barry knew to stay out of this one and backed up.

Bruce grabbed Wally by the shirt with two hands. "Dick had nothing to do with what missions I sent you on! You and your team will stay out of this!"

Wally smacked Bruce's hands away. "Gaa! You're impossible!" He then ran out the front door.

"You know, he did have a point," Barry said then immediately regretted it as Bruce turned the all too famous Batglare on him.

"Those kids would just make things worse. They would think they were going after Robin and find out they were going after Dick, and that would reveal our identities," Bruce said angrily.

"Yeah, about that," Barry said rubbing the back of his neck and looking away from Bruce. "Wally might have already told them." Bruce narrowed his eyes like he was about to kill someone and Barry put his hands up. "I said might have. Wally was venting about the situation about a week ago and said that he was going to tell the others his real name and they would all go after him themselves. I tried to reason with him, but he ran off raging mad and I don't know if he told them or not."

"Well, if they haven't done anything by now, then I think it's safe to say he didn't," Clark said.

Bruce was still mad, but didn't say anything and turned and continued to the study to go down to the cave.

Barry and Clark looked at each other then followed Bruce, leaving Alfred to take the untouched drinks back to the kitchen.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYYJYJYJ

Wally ran all the way to Mount Justice. When he got there, he ran right up to Artemis and Kaldur sparring. "Guys, I need to talk to you guys," he said, startling both of them then ran off before they could say a word.

By the time they got to the common room, M'gann was walking out of the kitchen as confused as they were. "Wally, what's wrong?"

"I can't stand it anymore," Wally replied angry.

"Can't stand what?" Conner asked as M'gann, Artemis and Kaldur found a seat, and looked at the pacing speedster.

"Batman!" he yelled. "He knows for sure that Rob's getting abused and he won't let us help do anything!"

They all looked at him shocked. "You know what happened to Robin?" M'gann asked.

Wally looked at them. He forgot that he only found out stuff about Dick by overhearing conversations. "Yeah, and I'm about to do something that will probably get me killed." They all looked at him confused. Wally took a deep breath and began. "Ok, first off, I know Rob's ID."

"What?!" Artemis yelled. "How come you know, but the rest of us aren't allowed?!"

"Because, Rob's been my best friend long before this team, or even before I knew Kaldur and Roy."

"But you knew both Roy and Robin before you met me as well," Kaldur said.

"Yeah, well, I met Roy not long after Rob, but Rob and I have been friends since I became a speedster."

"Then who is he?" Conner asked.

"His name's Dick Grayson."

"Grayson? As in son of billionaire Bruce Wayne?" Artemis gasped.

"Well, former son," Wally said a bit irate, "but yeah."

"So that's what he meant when he said we'll laugh about that picture someday," Artemis said, mainly to herself, looking down.

"Yeah," Wally said smiling. He remembered Dick sending him that picture.

"Then does that mean Batman is Bruce Wayne?" M'gann asked.

"Yeah," Wally said angry again, "and that's where I just came from." The others stayed quiet and listened. "You see after Rob left that morning, I knew that something was up, and when we didn't see him the next day like he said, or a few days after that, I went to Uncle Barry and asked him about it. He told me that Bruce took Dick back to the orphanage because he wanted to protect him."

"Protect him? He's the gosh dang Batman! Who would be better to protect him than that?" Artemis asked getting angry herself.

"Well, I don't know for sure. He wouldn't tell me the details, but of what I overheard, it was something about how much bad guys wanted money from Bruce and they used Dick to get it."

"He gave Dick up over money?" Conner asked confused.

"That's what it sounded like to me," Wally replied, "but there could've been other reasons too, I just didn't hear them. All I do know is that now Bruce regrets what he did and wants to get Dick back."

"So why not just go and get him from the orphanage?" Conner asked still confused.

"Because he's not there anymore," Wally replied sadly.

"What do you mean?" Kaldur asked.

"Well, once Uncle Barry told me, I ran over to the orphanage to see him, but when I asked them where he was, they told me that he'd already got adopted."

"By who?" M'gann asked. "Maybe we could go see him."

"I don't know, they wouldn't tell me their names."

"Does Ba… Bruce know who they are?" Kaldur asked.

"I think so, but I think I came in in the middle of the conversation, 'cause I didn't hear any names."

"So all we have to do is find out who they are and where they live," Artemis said.

"Yes, but how if the people at the orphanage will not help us?" Kaldur asked her.

"I think M'gann can help us there." They all stared at Wally.

"How can I help? You're not going to ask me to read their minds are you?" M'gann asked.

"No, nothing like that," Wally said.

"Then how?" Artemis asked crossing her arms.

"M'gann can become invisible right?"

"Yeah?" Artemis answered confused.

"You knew that, Wally," M'gann said.

"I know, but that's how you're going to find out where Rob is." He looked around and saw the others still confused. "M'gann can go into the Batcave invisible and use the Batcomputer to find out where he lives."

"But how do you know he has where they live on there?" Artemis asked.

"Uhhh, well, I don't, but it's worth a try right?" Wally asked then looked to Kaldur.

Kaldur looked down and thought about it then looked back up to Wally then the others. "Do it."

"Really?" M'gann asked slightly worried. "Are you sure we should be breaking into Batman's place?"

"Not us, you, and yeah. It's the only way we'll get to see Rob again," Wally said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. We shall find another way to find out where he now lives if you want," Kaldur told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

M'gann looked to Wally's pleading face then back to Kaldur. "I'll do it. For Robin."

Wally jumped and gave a shout of joy while the others just smiled. They had a plan, now all they had to do was go through with it.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a little past one when the zeta tube announced M'gann into the Batcave. As soon as she got there, she immediately went invisible. She looked around and was amazed by what she saw. A giant t-rex skeleton in the middle of the floor, a giant penny on a stand near the wall, and dozens of other items like a cane that looked like a question mark, a giant Joker card, and a Chinese looking mask to name a few.

She finally saw the computer and flew over to it. She sat down in the chair and started searching through some files. She was really glad that Bruce wasn't here, or at least that's what she thought since she didn't see the Batmobile around.

It took her another few minutes before she finally found a folder for profiles. "Ok, now to find out who has Robin." She looked through the files until she heard what sounded like a motor of a car coming closer and closer. "Oh no, he's back," she said panicking. She exited out of all the folders that wer open then hurried over to the side just as Batman came over the ledge.

Batman pulled down his cowl and headed over to the computer. He sat down and clicked on a few things before two files came up. M'gann got closer so she could see what he was bringing up, but stayed as quiet as could be.  _'Steve and Sarah Savage. Are they the ones that have Robin?'_  she thought.

Bruce pushed a few more buttons then suddenly someone started talking.  _"I thought I told you never to use the phone without my permission!" Pop. Yelp. "I deal with you later."_  Bruce then angrily slammed his fist down on the keyboard which caused the sound to stop.

M'gann gasped slightly when she heard the small pop and yelp then immediately covered her mouth and looked toward Bruce. Bruce didn't seem to hear her, so she lowered her hands and continued to watch Bruce do things on the computer.

About an hour later, Bruce was still on the computer, but he was looking up something about Penguin. M'gann was sitting cross-legged on the floor a few feet away, her cheek resting on her hand. She was now really bored. She found out who the people were that had Robin and where they lived, but now she was stuck in the cave until Bruce left or risk him finding out she was there.

After a few more minutes, Alfred stepped out of the elevator. "Sir, you really must get some sleep. You have to be at the library's re-opening tomorrow at nine in the morning, and you need to be rested up."

M'gann sat up straighter then stood up. Finally she would have the chance to leave. She flew over to the zeta tube then turned and waited for both of them to leave.

Bruce reluctantly got up, went into a small room, and came out in normal clothes. Bruce and Alfred then headed into the elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, the lights went out and M'gann used the zeta tube to get back to the mountain.

As soon as the computer recognized her, and she fully materialized in the mountain, everyone came rushing over to her. "So, did you find out where Rob is?" Wally asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I found out who they are and where they live."

"So why'd it take you so long?" Artemis asked.

"Batman was out when I got there, but as I was looking though some of the files, he came back. I couldn't just leave because then he would know that I was there."

"And when Batman starts looking things up, it takes him hours before he gets done," Wally added. "I know Rob and I waited three hours one time before Batman finally found enough stuff on someone to take him down."

"So how did you escape?" Artemis then asked her.

"Well, Alred… is that his name?" she asked Wally.

"Alfred," Wally corrected her.

"Right, thanks. Anyway, he told Bruce that he needed to sleep because of some re-opening tomorrow."

"Yeah, the library." Everyone just stared at Wally. "What? It happened about two months ago. Batman and Robin were trying to get the Joker and destroyed the place. That guy really doesn't care about books."

"Oh, and like you do?" Artemis teased.

"Hey, I care about books! I just don't like to read them," Wally replied crossing his arms and becoming quieter by the end.

"Yeah," Artemis smiled. "So when are we going to see him?"

"We will go tomorrow night," Kaldur said.

"Well, technically tonight seeing how it is past two in the morning," Wally said. Artemis slapped him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You don't have to be technical about it," Artemis said.

"Let us get some rest. Black Canary informed me that we will be having training in the morning," Kaldur said trying to get them off the topic.

Artemis and Wally just glared at each other then headed off to their rooms. Kaldur sighed, shook his head, and headed off to his own room, M'gann and Conner soon doing the same.

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Bruce stood near the front of the crowd waiting to give his speech. He put a lot of money into rebuilding the library, and they always expected him to say something about it. He always tried to help the city rebuild because half the time it was his fault the city got damaged anyway, well, him and the villains that try to destroy the city.

Commissioner Gordon was up there now giving his speech and talking about how Batman and Robin saved the city from the library being closed longer than it already was. Soon he was introducing Bruce.

The crowd clapped as Bruce walked up to the mike and smiled. "Thank you. The library is an important part of our community. We depend on it for help, especially our students. I personally don't go here because of work and other reasons, but if I could, I would. I am happy to give back to the community and will continue to do so as long as I am alive."

Everyone in the crowd then clapped as Bruce walked back to the crowd and Commissioner Gordon came back to the mike. Bruce knew it wasn't a long speech, just basically a comment, but it worked. Nobody really likes long speeches anyway, so he knew to keep it short and simple.

"Bruce!" Bruce looked around a little confused. He heard someone call his name, but he didn't see anyone, so he kept walking to the limo where Alfred was waiting. "Bruce!" he heard again. Again he stopped and looked around, but still saw no one.

After scanning the crowd once more, he continued until he got to the limo. "Ready, Sir?" Alfred asked.

"Yeah, I want to get home so…"

"Bruce, wait!" This time both Bruce and Alfred turned to scan the crowd and saw the person calling.

"Dick?" Bruce called out.

Dick walked, or rather limped, quickly toward Bruce and Alfred. "Bruce, I'm so glad I caught up to you." He glanced around then looked back to Bruce. He looked scared. "I don't know how long I have, but I need to talk to you."

"Dick, what happened? Why are you limping?" Bruce asked.

"Bruce, I'm sorry," Dick said completely ignoring Bruce's questions.

"Sorry? What for? I'm the one that should be saying sorry," Bruce said as he stepped toward Dick, knelt down, and placed a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for doing whatever I did to make you want to get rid of me."

Bruce closed his eyes in shame. "Dick," he began looking at him again, "you didn't do anything to deserve this. I was being selfish and didn't realize until it was too late that I made a terrible mistake."

"So why did you give me up?" Dick asked close to tears.

"I felt like I wasn't protecting you enough," Bruce said sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, over the past four years, people have been using you to get money from me and you've been hurt almost every time because of it."

Dick barreled into Bruce, causing Bruce to almost fall over, but he kept his balance and hugged Dick back. "I forgive you, Bruce, but please, find a way to get me back. I don't like it with Steve and Sarah."

"I'm trying, Dick, I promise, but it's not easy. You have to stay strong." Bruce pushed Dick out enough to see Dick's tear stained face. "Ok?"

Dick nodded and wiped away the tears with the back of his hand.

"Dick!"

Dick jerked around and all the fear from before came back. He then turned back to Bruce. "Please, don't let them take me back," Dick pleaded.

Bruce stood up, keeping one arm around Dick, and watched as Steve came barreling through the crowd angrily. As soon as Steve spotted Dick, he marched over to Dick, jerked Dick out of Bruce's grip, dragged him a little ways from Bruce and Alfred, stopped, then slapped Dick across the face. "I thought I told you not to try and run away again!"

 _'Again?'_  Bruce thought.

"I… I'm s-sor-ry," Dick stammered as tears fell from his eyes.

"Sorry's not good enough. I told you what would happen if you ever tried it again."

Dick's eyes went wide in fear. "No, please!"

Steve just grabbed Dick by the arm and dragged him away, struggling and trying to break free. Dick then looked back to Bruce with a pleading look that just screamed, 'Save me!'


	5. Chapter 5

Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, Conner, and M'gann, who was in human form, all stood in front of a little house that looked like it's seen better days. They all looked at each other like they weren't sure if this was such a good idea.

"What if they're already in bed?" M'gann asked.

"Come on, no one goes to bed at eight at night unless they were a baby," Artemis said.

"Or if they had to get up real early the next morning," Wally added.

"Shut up, Baywatch," Artemis snapped.

"Let us see if Robin is available to talk," Kaldur suggested.

They all nodded then walked up to the front door. Kaldur hesitated then knocked on the door. They all heard someone yelling then the door swung open to reveal a man with dark hair and brown eyes. "Mr. Savage?" Kaldur asked.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Steve replied rudely.

"We were wondering if Dick is here?"

"Yeah, he's here, but he's busy."

"Please, we just wish to speak with him."

"I said he's busy," Steve said raising his voice. "Now get outta here before I call the cops."

Before any of them could protest, Steve slammed the door in their faces. "Well, he's nice," Artemis said sarcastically as they walked back to the sidewalk.

They stopped and Kaldur turned to M'gann. "M'gann, can you contact Robin?"

"I can try." She then closed her eyes and concentrated.  _"Robin? Can you hear me?"_

 _"M'gann?"_  Robin asked.

M'gann smiled. "I reached him," she said excitedly.

"Link us up," Kaldur ordered.

 _"Robin, we're all here,"_  M'gann said.

 _"Rob, are you alright?"_  Wally asked.

_"No, KF, I'm far from alright."_

_"What do you mean?"_ Kaldur asked.

The link was silent for a few seconds.  _"Come to the window on the back side of the house,"_ Robin said.

They all quickly, but quietly, walked behind the house and found the window with Dick looking out. "Robin," M'gann said excitedly as she went up to him and hugged him.

Dick smiled and M'gann backed up to the others. "Well, I take it you know my real name if you're here, so call me Dick."

"Yeah, you can thank Kid Mouth for that," Artemis said.

Dick laughed. "Well, I'm glad he told you. I've missed you guys so much."

"And we have missed you," Kaldur said.

They all heard a click and then some yelling and looked to the closed door in the room that Dick was in. Dick then looked back to the team. "Listen, you shouldn't stay long. Steve doesn't like me talking with anyone."

"Dude, we have to get you out of here," Wally said.

"I would love that, Wally, but I can't leave unless there's a way to keep me away from Steve."

"Why?" Conner asked.

Dick looked at the door then back at his friends. "Steve said that if I ever try to run away that he'd punish me, and he will too," he said holding up his arm.

Everyone gasped. "Dude, what happened?"

Dick sat his arm back down carefully. "Steve broke it when I ran away today to try and talk to Bruce. I think it's broke in at least two places."

They all looked at him sadly. "Why do you not go to the police?" Kaldur asked.

"Because, if Steve found out I did that, he would find a way to convince them that everything was fine, and then beat me again."

"He beats you?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah, everyday. He always finds some reason to, whether it's because I put something in the wrong box, or didn't do what he said fast enough. Sometimes he just beats me for no reason at all," Dick said sadly and close to tears. He then looked over to a small table, limped over to it, picked up a folded piece of paper, and limped back to the window. "Can you give this to Bruce?" Dick asked handing the paper to Wally."

"Why would you have to put things in boxes?" Wally asked as he took the paper and put it in his pocket.

"We're moving to North Carolina," Dick answered sadly.

"What?!" Wally said a bit too loudly.

"Shhhhh. Do you want Steve to come in here and punish me?" Dick said a little angrily but calmed down. "Steve got a new job at some plant there, and we're leaving in two days."

"So why did they adopt you in the first place if they don't even want you?" Artemis asked.

"Well, they wanted me so I could help them pack, or rather pack for them. I've been doing most of the packing."

"So are they planning on sending you back to the orphanage afterwards?" Wally asked. "'Cause if they are, Bruce can just readopt you when you get back there."

"No, they're gonna take me with them and probably make me unpack everything. After that who knows."

Everyone was silent as they thought about that. "Dick, why were you limping?" Wally finally asked.

Dick sighed. "About two weeks ago, I finally decided that I didn't want to be hit or yelled at anymore, so I ran away. Well, Steve found out and came after me. When he finally got me, he messed up my leg. Now if I try to run away, I can't get as far 'cause it hurts every time I walk on it. After that he said if I ever try it again, he'd make it a lot worse. That's why he broke my arm today."

"He was keeping his promise," Artemis said.

"Yeah." There was more yelling coming from behind the door and they all looked toward the door. "Listen," Dick said looking back at them, "you guys should probably leave before Steve finds out I've been talking to you."

M'gann gave him another hug. "We'll try to help you get away from here," she said then pulled away.

Dick smiled again. "I know. Now go."

Everyone but Wally turned and left. "Dick, hold on, ok?"

"I will, now get out of here." And just as he said that, Steve burst through the door. Wally just ducked down underneath the window.

"Where did you put the TV and VCR remotes?!"

"I put them right where you told me to put them."

"Well, they're not there!" Steve then grabbed Dick's broken arm which caused Dick to yell out in pain. "Shut up! Now find the remotes!"

Wally then heard the door slam shut. He pushed a button on the small recorder he had then ran off to the others.

"Where were you?" Artemis asked.

"Just getting a little more evidence," Wally said holding up the recorder.

"Where did you get that?" Artemis asked as she grabbed the recorder from his hand.

"You remember when I left for a while and came back just before we came here?" Everyone nodded. "Well, Bruce called me up and changed his mind about letting us help. When I told him that we were already planning to go see Dick, he got mad, but then handed me that recorder and told me to try and find evidence to get Dick away from here."

"Then let us get this to him to see if it is enough to help our friend," Kaldur said.


	6. Chapter 6

Wally and the team all walked into the manor. It was everyone's, except for Wally's, first time in Wayne Manor, and they were all amazed by what they saw. They walked into the living room and saw Bruce sitting on the couch thinking. "Bruce, we got the evidence," Wally said as he held up the recorder and walked over to the couch.

Bruce stood up and took the recorder from Wally. He listened to the entire conversation then looked up to Wally. "Where's the thing Dick wanted you to give me?"

"Right," Wally said then dug in his pocket, brought out the folded paper, and handed it to Bruce.

Bruce took it, unfolded it, and read it to himself. It read:

_Bruce,_

_It was really nice seeing you again, but I fear_  
it's for the last time. Steve got this job in North  
Carolina and he's taking me with them. I don't  
want to go. All they're doing is making me pack  
up everything, and I think they only want to  
keep me so I can unpack everything, although  
I think that's going to be kind of hard with a  
broken arm. They're not even going to take me  
to the doctor to have it set back in place, so it'll  
probably end up like my leg and hurt every time  
I move it. Oh, and don't blame yourself for my  
arm, I'm the one that ran away knowing that it  
could happen.

 _I really miss you, Bruce, and I hope you can_  
find a way to get me back before we leave on  
Monday. Please don't forget about me.

_Dick_

Bruce clenched the letter tightly in his fist and walked to the study, leaving the kids just standing there. After a few minutes, he came back out, walked up to Wally, and handed him a piece of paper. "Take this to Dick and stay there unless he says to leave, but if he tells you to leave after reading this ask him why."

Wally nodded, took the paper, and ran all the way to the Savage house. He quietly went around behind the house to the same window as before, that was now closed, peeked in, and saw a dark room. As he looked in, he saw someone move where he remembered the bed being.

He tapped on the glass, and when the person didn't move, he tapped it again. This time he saw the person sit up. Soon Dick came to the window and Wally helped him lift it. "Wally, what are you doing here?" Dick whispered.

"Bruce told me to give this to you," he whispered back as he handed Dick the piece of paper.

Dick eagerly took the paper, opened it, and read it to himself. It read:

_Dick,_

_I will blame myself for what happened to you_  
because you wouldn't even be in this situation  
in the first place if it wasn't for me.

 _Now, I have a plan to get you away from them._  
Tonight, when Wally and the others came to  
see you, I sent a recorder with Wally. He  
recorded your conversation and got you telling  
them about what he's been doing to you. Go  
with Wally to the police station. I should already  
be there talking with Gordon, and if I'm not,  
I'm on my way. After I give Gordon the recorder  
and the letter you just gave me, I need you to  
tell him personally what's been going on.

_We'll beat this, Dick. I love you and I always will,  
and I'm so sorry I ever did this to you._

_Bruce_

A tear escaped Dick's eye. He was finally going to get out of here and that made him happy. "What did it say?" Wally asked seeing the tear and smile on Dick's face.

"You're supposed to take me to the police station so I can tell Commissioner Gordon what Steve's been doing to me."

"Then let's go!" Wally said excitedly, not caring if he was being loud or not.

Dick smiled and threw a leg over the window seal to get out, but before he could get completely out, the door slammed open and Steve walked in. Dick and Wally both looked at Steve then Wally helped Dick get out of the window.

Steve came stomping over to the window. "Kid, you better get your butt back in here now!"

By the time Steve got over to the window and tried to grab Dick, Dick fell out of the window and hit his broken arm, which caused him to take in a sharp breath from the pain. "Come on!" Wally yelled as he grabbed Dick's good arm and helped him up.

"Dick, I mean it! Stop!" Steve yelled as he tried climbing out of the window.

Dick crawled on Wally's back, being careful not to hurt his arm again, then both Wally and Dick looked back to Steve, who stopped trying to get through the window and just narrowed his eyes. "If you leave, I'll find you and you'll regret ever being born."

"Dude, I'm sure he already does when he's with you," Wally said then ran off toward the police station. Steve just yelled.

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Wally stopped in an ally next to the police station and squatted down so Dick could get off better. When he turned around to look at him, he saw pain on Dick's face. "Dude, you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Dick replied unclenching his eyes. "I guess the jerking from the running wasn't so good on my arm."

"Oh, sorry," Wally said blaming himself.

Dick smiled. "I don't care, as long as I can get away from Steve, I'll go through this pain a hundred times."

Wally smiled at that. "Then let's go in and see if Bruce is here yet." He threw his arm around Dick's shoulder, being careful not to hurt Dick's broken arm, and they walked to the front of the building.

When they got around the corner, Bruce was just stepping out of the car. "Bruce!" Dick yelled and ran to Bruce.

Bruce knelt down and wrapped his arms around Dick when he got there. "Dick," he began, "I'm so sorry."

Dick pushed away and smiled. "I told you, I forgive you."

Bruce touched Dick's broken arm, which caused Dick to jerk away a bit, then looked up to him. "Come on. Let's go talk to Commissioner Gordon." Dick nodded and followed Bruce into the building.

Wally just smiled and ran back to the manor to see if the others were still there.


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce and Dick walked up to one of the officers. "I'm looking for Commissioner Gordon. Is he in his office?"

"Oh, Mister Wayne. Yes, he's actually waiting for you," the female officer said.

Bruce looked confused. "He is?"

"Yes, he said to send you in right away."

"Uhh, ok. Thanks." Bruce then walked toward Gordon's office, Dick following close behind.

Bruce knocked on the door. "Come in," Gordon called out.

Bruce opened the door, let Dick go in first, then walked in and closed the door. "Were you expecting us?" Bruce asked as he and Dick took a seat in front of the desk.

"Yes. Bruce, I just got a call from Steve Savage," Gordon said then saw Dick tense up at the name. He then watched Dick as he continued. "He said that you came to his house, asked to see Dick, and when you left, told him that if Dick didn't go with you, you would ruin him, as in make it to where he'd lose his house, money, and so on."

Bruce's eyes went wide. "You know I would never do that."

Gordon looked over at Bruce. "Bruce, I've seen you this past month. Ever since you took Dick back to the orphanage, you've been more distant, more aggressive."

"Jim, I would never threaten anyone like that, no matter what they did to me."

"And I know that. I called the mansion right after I got off the phone with Steve, but Alfred said you were already on your way here."

"Yes, I wanted to give you evidence to get Dick away from them."

Gordon sighed and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and finger. "Bruce…"

"Here, listen," Bruce said interrupting him as he pulled out the recorder and pushed play.

_"He beats you?"_

_"Yeah, everyday. He always finds some reason to, whether it's because I put something in the wrong box, or didn't do what he said fast enough. Sometimes he just beats me for no reason at all."_

Bruce hit the stop button, knowing that it was enough to convince him and that he would listen to the rest later, and saw Gordon's eyes wide. "Dick, is he really beating you?" Gordon asked looking back to Dick.

Dick looked sadly to Bruce, who in turn nodded, then to Gordon. "He doesn't just beat me. He told me if I ever tried to leave without his permission he would… well, I've got a messed up leg and a broken arm because of it, and he told me after those times that if I ever tried it again it would only get worse," he finally said looking away from Gordon.

Gordon got up from his seat, walked over to Dick, knelt down in front of him, and placed a hand on his knee. "How long has he been doing this to you?"

"It started a few days after they adopted me."

"Does his wife hit you too?"

"No, she just stands there 'cause if she tried to stop him, he'd hit her too, but she never tried to help me afterwards, and she would always say something like 'should've listened,' or 'next time get it right' and then walk away." The tears were welling up in his eyes again. "Please don't take me back to them," he begged.

Gordon looked over to Bruce then stood up, walked back around his desk, sat down, and picked up the phone. "Karen, get me Child Protective Services." Dick looked over to Bruce confused as Gordon talked. "Ok, then patch them through when you get a hold of them. Oh, and also give me the number of the orphanage." Dick's head shot back toward Gordon, fear evident in his face. Gordon wrote down the number. "Thanks, Karen, and I need them right away." He then hung up the phone.

"Why do you need to call the orphanage?" Dick asked a bit worried.

"I need to see if they did a background check on the Savages. If they found any indication of past abusing, they would've never let you go with them."

"Oh," Dick said and looked down at the floor.

"And to see if they have room for you," Gordon continued.

Dick jerked his head back up, eyes wide. "What? Why?"

"Jim, he can stay with me," Bruce said.

"Sorry, Bruce, but I can't allow it."

"Why not?" Bruce asked.

"Because, when you gave Dick up, you gave up the right to take care of him, and if the CPS found out I let Dick stay with you, I'd get in a lot of trouble."

"It'll just be for one night, and if they send him back to the orphanage I'll just readopt him anyway."

"Bruce, it's not that simple. The CPS probably wouldn't let you readopt him."

"Why?"

Gordon sighed. "Bruce, to the CPS, giving up a child for no reason is like neglecting them, and that's what they deal with, neglect and abuse. They try to keep the children away from that kind of stuff. I'm sure after I tell them about this, they will investigate Steve and Sarah, and I'm sure they've already investigated you for abandoning Dick. They won't be easy to convince that you won't give him up again."

"I promise, I would die before I ever do that again," Bruce said more to Dick than Gordon. Dick gave him a small smile.

"You don't have to convince me. Just don't get your hopes up that you can get him back."

"But I don't want to be with anyone else," Dick said quietly.

Gordon sighed again. "Look, I can tell the person at the orphanage to make sure you don't get adopted until after I talk with the CPS, but if they say there's no way for Bruce to readopt you, then I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."

A tear slipped down Dick's face then stood up and faced Bruce very angry. "Why did you have to be so stupid?!" This outburst surprised both Gordon and Bruce, and Bruce just looked at him shocked. "You knew perfectly well that I could protect myself, and if I couldn't I knew I had my friends, and I thought I had you, but you never cared about me!" Tears were now streaming down his face and he ran out of the office.

Both Bruce and Gordon stood up and ran after him. "Dick!" Bruce tried calling out, but by the time he and Gordon got out of the office, Dick was gone.

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Dick ran all the way to Wayne Manor and burst through the doors. His leg and arm were killing him from all the movement from the running. He just stood there crying.

Alfred and Wally came into the room to see what happened. "Master Dick?" Alfred asked when he saw Dick.

Dick ran up to Alfred and just barreled into him, clung to him for dear life, and cried harder. After a few minutes, Alfred pushed him away enough to kneel down so he was eye level with him, his hands on both of Dick's shoulders. "What on earth is the matter?"

"Why did Bruce have to give me up? Now I may never get to come back here," Dick said. He was still crying, but he had it under control a little better.

"I'm sure Master Bruce will do everything he can to get you back."

"But he can't if Child Protective Services won't let him."

Alfred just pulled him back into a hug. He didn't know how else to respond. "It'll be alright," he said rubbing Dick's back.

Wally just stood there looking at them sadly. He wanted to comfort his friend, but knew that Alfred was better at it, so he just left them alone and walked back to the living room.


	8. Chapter 8

Bruce walked into the manor exhausted. He and Gordon had been searching the city for the past two hours and they finally decided to give up for the night. Bruce felt absolutely terrible. The last thing Dick said really got to him.

He walked into the kitchen and saw Alfred washing dishes. He went over to the fridge, pulled out a soda, and then leaned up against the counter. "Ruff night?" Alfred asked not looking away from his dishes.

"We got Dick away from Steve."

"We as in you and Master Wallace, correct?"

"Yeah, and he brought Dick down to the police station so we could get Dick away from Steve for good." Alfred just nodded, still not looking away from his dishes. "Well, the more we talked, the more we learned that Dick may never be able to live with us again."

"And?" Alfred asked, knowing there was more.

"And Dick wasn't too happy about that. He stood up, yelled at me, then ran out of the office. Me and Gordon searched hours for him."

"You looked everywhere?"

"Pretty much. The only places we didn't look was the orphanage, the schools…"

"Or here," Alfred interrupted finally turning around. He had just finished with the dishes and was drying his hands.

Bruce's eyes went wide. "He's here?"

"Yes, upstairs in his old room," Alfred said then walked out of the room.

Bruce sat the soda down on the counter and ran upstairs. Alfred was already up there, heading for his room, but stopped in front of Dick's room when he saw Bruce coming. Bruce stopped in front of Alfred and tried to open the door, but Alfred just moved closer to the knob. "Alfred, move."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but no."

"Alfred, he thinks I don't care about him, that I never did. Please, I need to talk to him."

"Master Bruce, you betrayed his trust. I'll be surprised if he ever trusts you again. After his parents died, he felt alone. You took him in and told him that you would always be there for him, no matter what. It's no wonder he thinks you never cared."

Bruce stood there shocked. "You know that's not true. I've cared about him ever since…"

"Ever since you saw his parents fall to their deaths?" Bruce looked away. "He thinks that the only reason you ever took him in is because you felt sorry for him."

"I did feel sorry for him." Alfred narrowed his eyes. "His parents died like mine, unexpectedly, but that's not why I took him in."

"Then why?"

"I took him in because I knew how he was feeling and I thought I could help, and the more time I spent with him, the more I felt like he  _was_  my son all along."

"So why would you get rid of that?"

"I made a mistake, I know that, and nobody's letting me forget it, but what Dick yelled at me tonight… I didn't think about what would happen." Bruce sighed and walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"To call Commissioner Gordon and tell him Dick's here. He's not going to like it, but I've still got to tell him." With that he disappeared down the stairs. Alfred just sighed sadly and walked to his room.

Dick slowly opened the door and peeked out. Once he saw no one was in the hall, he slipped out and quietly went down stairs. He wanted to know what Bruce was really going to say to Gordon.

Once he got down the stairs, he walked as quietly as he could to where Bruce was talking on the phone and hid around the corner.

"Jim, he's already asleep. Please, just wait until morning to come pick him up… No, I didn't know he was here until I got home and Alfred told me… Yes, I promise."

 _'What did he promise?'_  Dick wondered, really wishing he could hear both sides of the conversation.

"What about Steve?" Dick tried to lean closer. "What do you mean he got away?"

Dick backed up afraid.  _'He got away? He's going to go through with his threat.'_

"I don't know… Well, when I came home he was in the kitchen washing dishes. We got talking about Dick being here, and after that there wasn't a good time to ask… I can take him and then drop him off if you want… Ok, then we'll see you when you get here in the morning. Oh, did you ever get a hold of them… I see." Bruce got sad. "Thank you. Good bye."

Bruce hung up the phone then turned and stared up the stairs. "I'm sorry, Dick." He then walked up the stairs and to his room.

"The CPS must have told the Commish that Bruce can't readopt me." He looked down sad then back up with a determined look on his face. "We'll see about that." He then walked toward the study.

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Gordon showed up at around ten-thirty to pick up Dick. Alfred led him to the dining room where Bruce and Dick were just finishing up breakfast. "Jim," Bruce said as Gordon walked in.

"Good morning, Bruce, Dick. You ready to go, son?"

"Yes, sir," Dick said sadly, bowing his head. He then got up and walked over to Gordon.  _'It didn't work.'_

"Jim, please, isn't there…"

"Bruce, I already told you. The lady I talked to said that they looked into you after you gave Dick up. They found no good reason for you to give him up. They won't let you readopt him."

Bruce looked sadly at Dick, walked over to him, and knelt down. "Then I'm going to say good bye this time." Dick jumped onto Bruce and both of them clung to each other, Dick crying. Bruce then pushed Dick back enough to see his face. "Dick, there is no way for me to fix what I've done to you, and no way for me to tell you how much you've done me. I promise, I will ask whoever adopts you if I can come visit often, ok?" Dick just nodded, still crying. Bruce pulled him in for another hug. "I love you, Dick, and I always will, no matter what."

Dick pulled away from Bruce and took a step back. "I love you too, Bruce," he replied, still crying, but not as much.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anymore to help," Gordon said.

"It's alright, I did this to us. I'll walk you to the door."

They all walked to the front door and Bruce opened it. "I'm sure his new family will let you visit," Gordon said before he walked out the door.

Bruce just nodded and watched as Gordon and Dick got in the car and drove away.

Dick watched Bruce close the door then turned around and looked out the window. Once they got into town, Dick turned toward Gordon. "Did you ever get Steve and Sarah?"

"No, we tried their house last night, but all that was there were boxes. We figured they must have ran, and when we tried again this morning, the house was empty which confirmed it."

"So he got away," Dick said then looked down at his hands in his lap.

Gordon looked over and saw Dick's worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Before I left Steve's house, he threatened to find me and make me regret even being born."

Gordon looked at him surprised then back to the road so he didn't hit anyone. "Why didn't you tell me this last night?"

"I don't know," Dick said continuing to fiddle with his fingers.

"Well I promise, that's not going to happen."

Dick nodded and looked up when the car stopped to see they were at the hospital. "What are we doing here?"

"We need to get your arm and leg looked at."

Dick just nodded and they both got out of the car and went in."

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

About an hour later, Gordon parked the car in front of the orphanage. Dick still didn't want to be here, but knew he had no other choice. Gordon got out, went around and opened Dick's door, helped him out of the car, and got the wheelchair out of the back.

Dick didn't know which he hated more, the orphanage, the wheelchair, or Steve. He sat down in the wheelchair and Gordon wheeled him into the building.

When they got in the building, they saw a woman with long brown hair that looked like she was in her mid to late twenties, talking with Charlene.

"Oh, here they are now," Charlene said as she pointed toward Gordon and Dick.

"Ms. Sanders, what are you doing here?" Gordon asked. Dick also looked confused then smiled when she looked sort of scared.

"Commissioner, I'm here to say that I've changed the minds of the CPS and we've decided that if Bruce can promise never to do this to Dick again, that he can readopt Dick." She then looked down at Dick, gulped, and smiled nervously. "We are very sorry we told Commissioner Gordon that Bruce wasn't fit to take care of you, and we hope you'll forgive us."

Dick just smiled big. "Done." He then looked up at Gordon. "Can I go back to the manor now?"

"Ok, that's all I have to say. Oh and Commissioner, don't try contacting me at the CPS building anymore because I quit this morning, but they told me I had to tell you personally." She then looked around nervously then back at Gordon. "Good bye. Tell Bruce he won't have to worry about me again." She then quickly walked, or rather ran, to the door.

Gordon and Charlene just stood there shocked and very confused just staring at the door, while Dick was trying so hard not to laugh. "Did she look scared to you?" Charlene asked.

"She did seem edgy. I'll look into it when I get back to my office," Gordon replied.

"Can I go home now?" Dick finally asked, making both Gordon and Charlene look down at him.

They both snapped out of the shock as soon as Dick asked the question, and Charlene went over to the desk, picked something up, and brought it back. "Ok, just have Bruce sign this and bring it back by the end of the day and it will be official," she said as she handed a stack of papers to Gordon.

"Ok," Gordon replied as he took the papers. He then looked down at Dick. "Let's get you back home."

Dick just smiled.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Bruce sat in front of the TV just flipping through channels when he heard the door open.

"Bruce, I'm home!"

Bruce got up and ran to the front door, but stopped as soon as he saw Dick. He then looked up at Gordon. "What's going on?"

"Shirley Sanders, from the CPS, was at the orphanage when we got there and said you are able to readopt Dick, and that they're sorry they ever said otherwise. All you have to do is sign these papers," Gordon replied, holding up the adoption papers.

"Really?" Bruce asked as he walked over and took the papers.

"Really," Gordon replied as Bruce scanned the papers to make sure he was joking. He then smiled and held up a pin. "Need a pin?"

Bruce took the pin and signed the papers. "Do I need to turn these in myself?"

"I think so, but you have until the end of the day."

"Then I guess we're gonna have to make a trip down there, huh?" he said looking at Dick and smiling.

Dick smiled back. "Now that's one reason I will go there."

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

That night, after the trip to the orphanage, Dick invited Wally, the team, and the League to a celebration at the manor.

Bruce sat on the couch watching as Wally and everyone signed both of Dick's casts when Diana sat down next to him. "I'm so glad you got him back."

"Me too, but the thing is I almost didn't," he said looking at her. She looked at him confused. "Gordon told me that the Child Protective Services lady that he talked to said that I couldn't readopt him, but this morning she was at the orphanage and told him that I could and that they were sorry they said otherwise."

"That's pretty strange."

"Yeah, but what's even more strange is that Gordon said she looked scared."

"Scared?"

They heard laughter coming from the kids and looked over to them holding up drinks. "To the best plan!" Wally said happily.

"To the best plan!" the others repeated then they all hit their cups together and laughed at what they did.

"I have a feeling they didn't change their minds on their own," Bruce said. He then raised his glass and looked back at Diana. "To the best plan."

Diana smiled and raised her own glass. "To the best plan." They then hit their cups together and laughed at the thought of what the kids might have done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. If you're curious about what the team did to change Shirley's mind, check out the next part of the series, The Visitor, or just go on to the last part, A Savage Return.


End file.
